Kidd Earns All-America Honors; Jackets Finish 14th at NCAA Indoors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Ashlee Kidd finished third in the women’s 400-meter dash with a personal- and school-best 51.96 to lead the No. 17 Georgia Tech women’s track and field team to a 14th-place finish on day two of the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships on Saturday.

“This was a fantastic race for Ashlee and great way for her to end her indoor career,” said women’s head coach Alan Drosky. “This was her best finish at a national championship as she broke her own personal- and school-record in the event. I am also very happy for Coach Audrey Dempsey-Branch for the tremendous job she did with Ashlee this season.”

Kidd, a senior from St. Petersburg, Fla., finished first in section one of the 400m finals. She got a clean start off the blocks on the Randall Tyson Center indoor track and led all the way to the finish line. The sprinter earned all-America honors for her finish. In first place was Natasha Hastings from South Carolina, who ran a collegiate, NCAA and facility record time of 50.80 in the 400m.

On day one of the championship meet, junior Shantia Moss won the 60-meter hurdles in 7.98 to earn the NCAA title and all-America honors. The two Jackets combined for 16 points and a 14th-place finish at the national competition.

“We came in with only two athletes and scored a nice amount of points,” added Drosky. “I am very proud of the both of them for all their hard work.”

Jerome Miller, a junior from Stafford, Va., placed 12th overall in the men’s high jump as the only representative of the Georgia Tech men’s track and field team. Miller cleared the bar at 7 feet, ¼ inch at his first indoor championship meet. The winner of the high jump was Donald Thomas of Auburn, who had a mark of 7 feet, 7 ¾ inches.

The Georgia Tech track and field teams will kick off the outdoor season on Friday and Saturday, March 23-24 at the Wake Forest Open in Winston-Salem, N.C.